Loop rail anchor



June 14, 1932. R w s 1,862,780

LOOP RAIL ANCHOR Filed Sept. 13, 1930 WITNESSES INVENTOR Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES ROBERT T. WOOZDINGS, OF OAKIVLONT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OF VERONA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF TEENN- VERONA TOOL WORKS, SYLVANIA.

TO XVOODINGS- FATE LOOP BAIL ANCHOR Application filed September 13, 1930. Serial No. 481,615.

This invention relates to rail anchors.

More particularly it relates to such devices made of one piece of spring steel, adapted to be applied by hooking one end around the rail base and then rotating the other or latch end to cause an inclined portion to ride up the lower edge of the rail base until a shoulder snaps into place on the upper edge, the anchor thereafter exerting a strong transw verse grip on the rail.

The art to which this invention relates is old and well worked. Under heavy train loads rails in the track tend to creep in the direction of movement of the train. in order to combat this, anchors are applied to the rails in such position that they abut the tie. Further movement of the rail therefore can take place only by slippage of the rail through the anchor, or breaking of the anchor. The stronger the grip of the anchor on the rail, therefore, the more effective is such a device.

Anchors are applied sometimes as many as two or more to each rail that has been laid. Consequently simplicity of application and economy of manufacture are prime requisites of such devices.

An object of the present invention is to provide an anchor comprising a minimum of material, one that may be made of a single piece of bar steel, bent and forged to shape by automatic machinery, without scrap, and which will exert a strong constant spring grip on the edges and bottom of a rail.

One of the particular objects is to provide in a simple and effective form sufhcient length and suitable shape of the spring bar stock to give great resiliency to the anchor, so that it may undergo the necessary distortion for applying it to the rail base Without passing the elastic limit at any point, thereafter retracting part way to normal shape, and so exerting a strong spring grip on the rail without weakening the material of which the anchor is made by stresses of application.

Other objects and advantages of the structure to be described will be apparent to those familiar with the art.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows an anchor A embodying this invention as preliminarily applied to a rail B; Fig. 2 shows the same anchor in applied gripping position on a rail base; and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the anchor as applied to a. rail and abutting a tie T.

The anchor comprising the present invention is made from a single bar of spring steel, preferably round. A suitable length of the bar stock is cut off, bent and forged hot, and then heat treated and quenched. By that process it is formed into an anchor comprising a hook or jaw H at one end having an upright portion 1 and an inturned upper terminal 2, and at the other end a latch L comprising an upturned interiorly flattened portion 3, with an inclined terminal portion i above a shoulder 5, adapted to seat on the upper corner of the rail base when the anchor is applied.

The intermediate portion of the bar between the hook and latch ends thereof is bent to form a helical loop or coil 6. This intermediate portion is also slightly arched or raised in the middle, so that it will contact above the loop with the under side of the rail, requiring a slight straightening out of the arch portion in applying the anchor to latched position.

The inner lower corner of the hook end is slightly beveled at 7, to facilitate slipping the hook over an edge of the rail base flange.

The latch end of the bar has grooves 8, 8, on its inner and outer faces, formed by the gripping ties which take hold of the end of the bar and hold it during the bending and forging operations performed thereon. These do not affect the functioning of the anchor.

in applying the anchor, it is passed under the base of a rail until t e hook engages one edge of the base flange. The latch end is then rotated about the hook, until the inner face 8 of the inclined portion at contacts with. the lower corn-er of the flange of the rail base opposite that to which the hook has been first applied, making preliminary contact therewith, as shown in Fig. 1. In this position the hook has gone as far as it can onto the rail base, and the latch end of the anchor gone upward as far as it can without springing of the material. In this position the inclined face 8 is in contact with the lower corner of the rail base. Further movement upward of the latch can only be accomplished by spreading the anchor to increase the distance between the hook and latch ends thereof. This may be accomplished by putting a crow bar under the latch end thereof, or otherwise applying a suitable tool, forcin the inclined face 8 to ride upward against t e under corner of the rail base. This elongates the inner portion of the anchor by compressing the helical loop 6.

As the latch end of the anchor is moved upward the arched intermediate portion 9 will come into contact with the rail, substantially at its middle portion, and thereafter further upward travel of the latch end will 'esult in bending tl intermediate portion of the anchor.

\Vhen the latch is sprung upward to the point where the shoulder 5 reaches the upper corner 10 of the rail base flange, the shoulder snaps into position above that corner, as shown in Fig. The retractive force of the helical loop 6 and the other spring portions draws the two ends of the anchor towards each other under a powerful constantly applied spring grip. At the same time the straightening of the intermediate portion of the anchor caused by the forcing of the latch upward after contact of the portion 9 with the under side of the rail results in a constant resilient grip between the two portions of the anchor seated on the upper side of the rail base and the intermediate portion seated on the under side thereof. Consequently the anchor will be strongly held with both a transverse grip,,and a three-point vertically applied grip.

The anchor is applied to a rail immediately adjacent to a tie, and preferably so that the part of the anchor carrying the hook end thereof will contact with the tie, as shown in Fig. 3. lVhen the rail tends to move forward (as indicated by the arrow) through the anchor, the side of loop (3 will furnish a firm abutment against the tie, and the pressure of the rail to move forward will tend to cant the anchor, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the three-point grip on the upper and lower sides of the rail base. The result is a very strong gripping action tending to hold the rail against movement relative to the tie.

It will be observed that this anchor contains no features of construction that can in any way injure the rail. Likewise the grip is such that it will not tend to loosen with time, or on account of vibration, or by contact with frozen ballast beneath it.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor formed of a single bar of spring steel bent to provide a rail base-engaging jaw at one end and forged at the other end to provide an inclined face adapted preliminarily to contact the lower corner of the rail base, said face having a shoulder adapted to snap over the upper corner of the rail base when the anchor is sprung by moving the inclined face upward after preliminary contact with the base, said inclined face extending substantially beyond and above said shoulder, the bar between said jaw and inclined portion being bent on itself to form a helical loop disposed substantially in the plane of the anchor and to form a raised intermediate portion adapted to bear against the under side of the rail.

2. A rail anchor formed of a single bar of spring steel bent to provide a rail base-engaging jaw at one end, an inclined latch portion at the other end, said inclined portion being adapted upon rotation of the anchor after engagement of said jaw on one edge of a rail base to contact the lower corner of the opposite edge of the rail, a shoulder in said inclined portion adapted to engage the upper corner of the rail base upon forcing of the inclined portion upward, said inclined portion extending substantially beyond and above said shoulder, the intermediate portion of the bar being arched transversely of the rail so as to contact the underside of the rail before the said shoulder seats on the upper side thereof and being bent into a helical loop disposed substantially in the plane of the anchor adapted to contact a tie and to permit widening of the anchor to apply it to the rail and thereafter to cause it to grip the rail base.

3. An anchor adapted to be applied to a rail base and to abut a tie, formed of a single bar of spring steel bent to provide a rail base-engaging hook at one end and a rail base-engaging latch at the other end, the latch end having an inclined inner face adapted to contact with and ride on the lower corner of the rail base flange with a shoulder in the inclined face adapted to seat on the upper side of the rail base, said inclined face extending substantially beyond and above said shoulder, the intermediate portion of the anchor being bent to form a helical loop disposed substantially in the plane of the anchor and arched to form a portion adapted to contact with the underside of the rail before said shoulder seats on top of the rail.

In testimony whereof. I sign my name.

ROBERT T. WOODINGS. 

